Vast quantities of data related to aircraft conditions, performance tracking, or health monitoring for aircraft are generally available. Analysis of such aviation data can offer useful information for maintenance, prognostics, control, routing, and/or other objectives of the aircraft.
For example, modern aircraft are equipped with a large number of different computers that provide a wide range of control functions and that output various data. Aircraft may also have a large number of sensors that provide data regarding various conditions associated with the aircraft, including vibrational data, engine data, wind data, or other forms of aircraft condition data. Thus, modern aircraft typically output a very large amount of data.
As a result of the significant magnitude of such data, real-time or even post-flight transmission of such data from the aircraft to a ground station represents a significant challenge. For example, in-flight transmission of large amounts of data is relatively costly or otherwise impractical under current technology. Likewise, situations in which an aircraft is docked at an airport gate may not provide sufficient time for the data to be transmitted and processed and then for action to be taken in view of the processed data.
Thus, the potential benefits obtainable through analysis of aviation data are not currently achieved due to a lack of ability to transmit the aviation data from the aircraft to a ground station.